The quality of life for four families within the communities of Good Hope and Lusignan, along the East Coast Demerara Corridor, has been vastly improved, as they have now received keys to two-bedroom core homes newly constructed under the Housing and Water Ministry and the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IBD) Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme (AHUAP).
One of the core homes that were handed over
The proud homeowners are Chandradai Harilall of Lot 218 Good Hope; Tulsiram Sutraban of Lot 147 Area X, Plantation Good Hope; Pranpattie Mangal of Lot 507 Good Hope; and Sabrina Joseph of Lot 396 Lusignan. Minister within the Housing Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, and IDB Country Representative Lorena Solórzano-Salazar joined these families on the occasion, as they are now able to move into their new homes.
Minister Rodrigues noted that the Core Home initiative aids in enhancing Government’s housing drive as it targets the most vulnerable sections of our society. She added that since the commencement of the project, the Ministry, being the executing agency, has been able to meet the intended target audience with the guidelines outlined by the IDB. The Minister further stated that the beneficiary selection process has ensured that the lives of the most vulnerable families are transformed and their living conditions improved.
Tulsiram Sutraban receiving his documents from Minister Rodrigues in the presence of IDB Country Representative Lorena Solórzano-Salazar
Similar sentiments were echoed by the IDB Country Representative Solórzano-Salazar, who added that the IDB continues to build on the long-term partnership with the Ministry, and they are so far pleased with the outcome.
“This programme has been a long-term partnership, and it’s not the first; we had before the Hinterland Housing Programme. And now, under this programme, some 360 families will benefit”, she said.
Solórzano-Salazar stressed that the programme aims to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable families in a holistic way, as the various components deal with the all-round development of communities.
Another core home that was handed over
AHUAP is an IDB-funded programme aimed at improving the quality of life in urban and peri-urban Georgetown through better access to adequate housing and basic infrastructure for low-income populations, and through improved accessibility and mobility services.
In addition to the Core Home Initiative, another aspect of AHUAP is the Home Improvement Subsidy, which sees beneficiaries receiving a $500,000 grant in the form of materials to make much-needed repairs to their homes.
AHUAP also prioritizes the safety of women and girls by conducting Women’s Safety Audit (WSA) workshops to properly plan infrastructure development in target communities.
This programme previously encompassed communities from Georgetown to Grove, East Bank Demerara, up to La Bonne Intention on the ECD and Westminster, Onderneeming, Recht-Door-Zee, Lust en Rust, and Parfaite Harmonie Phase II on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD). The Ministry expanded the boundary in 2021 to include nineteen communities on the ECD, stretching the boundary to Victoria.
